The Ripple Effect
by aresu
Summary: Having lost his home and his friends, Naruto is given the chance to turn back time and fix things. However, he wasn't counting on ending in an alternate reality where a single change caused his life and the lives of everyone he knew to be drastically different. Now, he must set things right in a world that he has yet to fully understand or lose everything once more.
1. Chapter 1: Desperate One-Way Trip

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

Chapter 1: Desperate One-Way Trip

Everything was over.

The village was destroyed.

His friends were dead.

And Hinata, the only girl to have ever loved him was murdered right before of him after just confessing her love to him.

After that, Naruto had lost control and had let himself fall prey to the Kyuubi's influence. That's why he was currently in the sewer of his mindscape, on all-fours, pondering on how everything had turned out the way it did, why did it turn the way it did? why did he have to lose everything?

''What's the matter, Naruto?'' Thundered the cold voice of the fox as the gigantic beast stared at Naruto through the bars of his huge cage. ''You know what you have to do. Free me and I promise I'll make that man pay. I'll make him regret messing with us'' Said the fox, his red eyes showing eagerness as he glowered at the broken boy in front of him.

Naruto stood up slowly before he started approaching the seal on the cage. The stupid fox was right, as much as Naruto hated to admit it. This was the only choice left for him to do. He had lost. Pain had taken everything away from him and Naruto could only wonder what his body, which was currently on a Kyuubi-induced rampage, was doing right now outside of his mindscape.

At least the fox had a chance against the leader of the Akatsuki. Naruto knew that he would die if he took off the seal, but why did it matter? Everyone he cared about was dead, and he would be too anyway if he didn't free the Kyuubi. This way at least he could take down Pain with him.

''That's it, Naruto. Just take off that damn seal and let me do the rest'' Said the Kyuubi expectantly as he saw Naruto stop just before the big piece of paper that had the door of his cage sealed.

Naruto stared at the paper tag with the word 'Seal' on it, and he slowly lifted his hand and grabbed a corner of the tag. He started to tear it down when he felt someone's grip on his wrist, keeping him from continuing.

Naruto glanced to his side in confusion to see a man holding him by the wrist. Naruto recognized the newcomer, he had seen the man's face countless times on the Hokage monument. The man had spiky blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin and was wearing a white coat over a Jounin uniform.

''Y-Yondaime?'' Muttered Naruto in shock. How was this possible? How could someone else be inside his mind?

''Hello Naruto'' Said the fourth Hokage with a warm smile.

''Yondaime!'' Growled the Kyuubi in rage at the man. He had been taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of the former Hokage, but now that he snapped out of his shock he had been invaded with unyielding rage at the sight of the one who imprisoned him in this worthless boy. ''I'm going to tear you to pieces!''

Both blonds ignored the Kyuubi's fit of rage as they stared silently at each other.

Naruto was especially speechless. what could he say? Why was the Yondaime even there? So, he just settled in asking a simple question. ''How do you know my name?''

The Yondaime grinned at the boy. ''I think I would be a terrible father if I didn't know my son's name now, would I?''

It took a moment for Naruto to process that sentence, but when he did, he widened his eyes in astonishment. ''You-Your son? You are my dad?''

''That's right. I stored some of my Chakra within the seal so I would appear before you if you were about to release the fox. I would have preferred to meet you in different circumstances but on the plus side, I get to see my boy all grown up'' Said the fourth Hokage with pride.

''Don't you dare ignore me!'' Yelled the fox as he threw himself against the bars to no avail. ''I'll never forgive you for putting me in here. Damn you!''

''So noisy'' Said the Yondaime. He knew that the Kyuubi would not let them have a moment of peace to talk, so with a snap of his fingers, he made their surroundings disappear.

Naruto glanced around him as he noticed that they weren't before the Kyuubi's cage any longer. Instead, they were surrounded by a white void as far as the eye could see. But even if he had never seen this part of his subconscious before, Naruto was way more interested in his dad.

The former Hokage watched as his son approached him slowly. Minato opened his arms, ready to embrace the boy, only for Naruto to punch him in the gut. The Hokage bent over with a cough as the air left his lungs.

''How could you?!'' Yelled Naruto at his father. ''Why did you seal the Kyuubi in me while you went off to die and leave me alone?!''

The Yondaime looked apologetically at his son. ''Naruto, listen-''

''No! You listen!'' Naruto interrupted. ''Do you know how hard my life has been because of you?! You ARE a terrible father!''

The Yondaime stared sadly at his son as the boy sniffed back his tears. ''You are right. Your life hasn't been easy and that's all on me. But I had no choice in the matter. At the time it was either seal the fox in you or let it destroy Konoha, and I knew you could handle it. I have always believed in you''

Naruto's sobs were receding somewhat, the Yondaime's words soothed him even if just a little bit.

''Just like right now'' Continued the Yondaime. ''I know that things look bleak at the moment, but I know that you'll find a way to pull through. I know that you'll manage to defeat Pain and avenge everyone''

Naruto snapped his head back up again to stare harshly at his father, once again feeling upset. ''So I defeat him, then what?! Everyone is dead!''

The former Hokage was taken aback by Naruto's outburst. He couldn't think of anything to say to Naruto about that.

''He destroyed Konoha, probably killed everyone too. What will I do after I defeat him?! I can't take on the rest of the Akatsuki by myself! I can't become Hokage if there is no Konoha! Everyone I've ever cared about is gone! What do I have to live for now?! What would defeating him even accomplish now?!'' Shouted Naruto, gasping for air after his tirade.

The Yondaime glanced at the white void below them, at a loss for words. It was heart-wrenching to see his son so defeated, but the worst part was that he was mostly right. Yes, Konoha could be rebuilt, and Naruto could always find other precious people- As cold as it might sound- but it was true that right now his son would be terribly vulnerable to his enemies. With no Konoha or comrades to support him he would be hard-pressed to protect himself against the rest of the Akatsuki. He would live the rest of his days laying low and evading S-ranked criminals unless he found another village willing to take him in, but it was much more likely that an enemy village would just take the Kyuubi for themselves and get rid of Naruto and be done with it.

An idea occurred to the Yondaime. It wasn't ideal and would come with its own set of problems but it might be the only thing that Naruto could do.

''There is a way to solve all of this'' Said Minato, getting a surprised stare from his son.

''What do you mean by that?'' Asked Naruto, finding it hard to believe that there was anything that could be done now.

''Before I died, I was experimenting with my time-space manipulation seals, and I managed to create one that could send someone back in time. In theory at least'' Explained the Yondaime.

''So there is a way to undo all of this?!'' Exclaimed Naruto. ''What are we waiting for, then?! Let's do it''

''Easy there, Naruto. First, I want you to know the risks of doing so'' Warned Minato before Naruto got too over eager.

''Risks?'' Inquired Naruto. What risks could there be? If this was going to bring his friends and his home back it was a no-brainer.

Minato nodded. ''Why did you think I never attempted to use it? Not even when the Kyuubi attacked?''

Naruto frowned thoughtfully at that. That was a good point. If it was such an awesome Jutsu why didn't his dad use it to save his life the night of the Kyuubi attack?

''Messing with time is no small thing. Just a small change and the entire timeline is affected. You could even end up in a parallel universe even without doing anything at all'' Explained Minato. He could have gone back to the past to prevent the masked man from attacking Kushina and releasing the fox, but time was a fickle thing. Even if he went back there was no guarantee that it would fix anything, and in fact it could make things even worse.

Naruto thought about what his dad said for a moment, but in the end, he decided that the risk was worth it. ''Yeah, it could change things, I get it. But compared to how things are right now, anything would be better''

Minato frowned sadly at his son's words. While what Naruto said wasn't wrong it was still disheartening to see his son so defeated.

''So, are you sure you want to do this?'' Asked Minato seriously.

Naruto pondered on this one last time for a moment before he gave a solemn nod.

Minato sighed, preparing himself mentally for what was next. ''All right. Let's get to it. ButI'm going to need your help''

''My help?'' Repeated Naruto.

''That's right'' Said the Yondaime. ''I don't have the Chakra necessary to perform the technique myself, I'm just a Chakra remnant after all. I'm going to need to use your Chakra for this''

''Can we do that?'' Asked Naruto. ''I don't know how that works''

''Don't worry. We are inside your mind'' Minato reassured him. ''It won't be difficult for me to access your Chakra here. But...''

''But what?'' Said Naruto with concern. His dad's silence couldn't be a good thing.

''Since you will be spending the Chakra for the Jutsu, it will also be up to you to direct the technique'' Said Minato.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. ''How do I do that?''

''You'll have to think of a specific moment in time in your past. Focus well, picture that moment in your mind as clear as you can. Then, the Jutsu will send you back at that moment'' Explained Minato.

''That sounds easy enough'' Said Naruto confidently.

''Don't take this lightly, son'' Said Minato sternly, taking Naruto off-guard. ''What did I just said a moment ago? Tinkering with time is not a game. A single mistake can cost you; Lose your focus for just a moment and who knows in which part of your timeline you will land, if you land in the same timeline that is''

Naruto gulped. This might be more dangerous than he originally thought. ''What do I do then?''

''Don't think too far back in the past'' Said Minato. ''Not only will your memories be fuzzier the farther in the past you think, but the farthest you get sent back in time the more risk there is of deviating from the timeline''

''I understand'' Said Naruto, now a bit more subdued.

''Okay, let's begin'' Said Minato, glad that Naruto seemingly understood how delicate this was. ''First, put your hands on my shoulders''

Naruto awkwardly grabbed his dad by his shoulders as he faced him. This was such a surreal experience. He had just met the ghost of his dad who was the fourth Hokage and was about to send him back in time. ''Now what?'' Said Naruto expectantly.

''For now just try to focus on the specific point in time you want to go back to'' Said Minato as he did some hand seals.

Naruto tried to think back at an appropriate time to go back. He could go back to just before Pain attacked and warn everyone that he was coming. But what if they couldn't stop him anyway? Pain already destroyed the whole village by himself, what guarantee was that he couldn't just do it again? No, he had to go back even further, but how far back was the question. ''Say, dad. Do you have any suggestions of a good time to be sent back?'' Asked Naruto. His dad was supposed to be smart, right? He had to have a good moment in mind.

Minato wasn't expecting his son to ask for his opinion. He furrowed his brow in concentration as he thought on the subject. ''I think that your best bet is to go back to the last time you saw Jiraiya-Sensei. Is not that far back to be too dangerous and you can inform him of Pain. With his help I'm sure that you can beat Pain''

Naruto smiled at that. That was ingenious! Not only this would fix everything and they would be ready for Pain, but he would save the Ero-Sennin's life! At that thought, Naruto widened his eyes in astonishment as another idea entered his mind. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity; he would never get the chance again to go back and fix things, it was best that he used this chance to its full potential. Why only limiting himself to saving the Ero-Sennin? There were so much more people he could help, not just his old master. He could go back just a bit more and save Asuma-Sensei, or go back even more and save Granny Chiyo and Gaara. And why stop there? He could keep Sasuke from leaving the village; He could prevent the Oto-Suna invasion and save the old man Sandaime. Yeah, he had to use this chance to set everything right, not just spare Konoha. But first, he had to think of a good point to go back to; too far back and he would be too young to do anything about it, so preventing the Kyuubi attack was out of the question and he hoped Sasuke would forgive him someday but he most likely would not be able to stop the Uchiha massacre. After carefully thinking about his options for a couple of minutes, Naruto finally decided that a good point to go back to was his graduation day. It just seemed that a lot of crazy stuff started happening just after he became a ninja, so it was a fitting place to start.

With his mind made up, Naruto looked at his dad with resolution in his eyes. ''I'm ready''

Minato smiled proudly at his son, glad to see his determination. This might be far from the best possible meeting with his son, but he was still glad that he got the chance to talk to Naruto at least once. With that in mind, he finished the hand seals and put his palm on Naruto's belly. ''Remember, think only of the time and place you want to go back to. Try to be as emotionless as you can. Any stray thought you have could screw up your intentions'' Said Minato, to which he got a nod from Naruto. ''Say hi to Jiraiya-Sensei for me''

''Of course'' Said Naruto, hiding the fact that he wasn't going to be seeing Jiraiya any time soon probably. The only thing he was not looking forward to was the loneliness that he was going back to. Back when he graduated very few people cared about him and he couldn't say that he wanted to relieve that. He knew that he could make friends with everyone again but he still wished that he didn't have to be so alone.

''Then, I wish you luck. I believe in you, Naruto'' Said Minato one last time before he channeled Chakra to his hand on Naruto's stomach and a bright yellow light enveloped the boy.

Naruto couldn't help but give a small yell at the weird sensation. In a flash, his body was thrown into a void as he felt as if he was falling into a bottomless abyss while his mind got clouded.

He didn't have much more time to wonder what was going on before the stress that the technique put on his body was too much and everything went dark.

 **Author's note:**

 **Hey there, guys! I have been toying with the plot of this story in mind for quite a while and I think that I finally managed to structure the story half decently, in my mind at least.**

 **Don't worry, I'm still writing 'Love your Enemy' but I'm having trouble with some little bits of the next chapter and I had to put this story into words already, so you could say that I was more inspired to write this one at the moment but rest assured that I'm still working on my other story, I won't ever abandon it without me telling you guys.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new story and feel free to review or PM me!**


	2. Chapter 2: Tainted Wishes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

Chapter 2: Tainted Wishes

Naruto woke up with a sudden blow to the head as he hit the floor. He hastily got to his feet in a panic as the confused boy surveyed his surroundings. He couldn't recognize where he was. He found himself in a rather spacious room. It was mostly dark but with the little sunlight that came through the blinds behind him he could make out some closet doors on the wall in front of him, a dresser pressed on the wall at his left with a wardrobe just beside it, and a nightstand at the right wall very close to a bed.

Naruto was on guard as he tried to remember how he got here. At that moment, everything came back to him. He had met his dad, who turned out to be the fourth Hokage and sent him back in time after Pain destroyed his village and killed everyone.

Naruto inspected his body to see that indeed he was much shorter than before if the furniture towering all around him was any indication. Not to mention that his body wasn't as toned as it had been before. All of this was proof that he was back into his twelve-year-old body.

But if he had gone back in time where the hell was he? He had intended to go back to his graduation day and he was pretty sure that this place was neither the academy nor his old apartment. Maybe he had screwed up and ended up on another time? Maybe he was on a mission and was staying at a hotel or something.

Then, Naruto gave a jump of surprise as he got into a battle stance when the door of the room slammed open revealing a woman standing in the doorway. She had red hair and was wearing the standard Jounin uniform which consisted of blue pants with a blue shirt covered by a green flak jacket. She had her hands on her hips as her violet eyes settled angrily on Naruto.

''Namikaze Naruto, why aren't you ready yet?!'' Yelled the enraged woman as she flipped a switch on the wall, turning on the light. ''How can you be late on your graduation day?! Have you no shame you lazy boy?!''

''Wha-'' Was the only thing the dumbfounded boy could say. ''What is going on?! Who are you, crazy lady?!''

''Crazy?!'' Said the woman, getting even angrier as she clobbered Naruto in the head before he could react. ''I don't know what's worse, that you are playing dumb or that you so little respect for your own mother!

Naruto got up from the floor as he rubbed the bump on his head ''Why did you have to hit me?! I don't even know what- Wait, 'mother'?'' Repeated the boy as he stared agape at the woman in front of him. She was his mother? That couldn't be, his mother was dead. He never even met her! This had to be a lie, but as he glanced into the eyes of the older woman there was something there, a warmth in her eyes as she looked at him that told him that she was telling the truth. Looking into the woman's eyes felt like he has discovered a long lost part of him that he forgot existed.

''Keep acting like you don't know me, see what happe-'' The red-haired woman looked down in confusion at Naruto who had suddenly embraced her tightly.

Naruto buried his face into the woman's torso, staining it with tears as he silently sobbed. He didn't know why or how this had happened but he had somehow changed the timeline and his mother had survived the night of the Kyuubi attack. This was a wonderful accident, he had saved a life already, one that he had never in a million years have thought that he could have saved. He would never have imagined that he would ever get to meet his mom. He tightened his hug around the mother he never had until now. All his life he had been alone, a poor worthless orphan, this time around he would have a family. That was the greatest treasure he could have asked for.

The woman's face shifted from confusion to concern as she stared at the boy clinging to her like a lost puppy. ''Naruto sweetie, is everything all right? Are you feeling well?''

Naruto nodded silently with his face still buried in his mother's jacket. ''Y-Yeah, I'm just...I'm just happy to see you''

''Are you sure?'' Asked the woman not fully believing the boy. ''If you are not feeling well I can call the academy. I'm sure that I can arrange them to make you take your graduation exam some other time''

Finally, Naruto let go of her before he rubbed away his tears with his forearm. ''No need. I'm fine, really'' Reassured Naruto. He had just met his mom, he wasn't going to trouble her with such small concerns. It wasn't like she would understand what was going on even if he explained it to her.

''If you say so'' Said the woman still feeling a bit worried. ''Then dress while I make you a bento''

''Yes ma'am!'' Responded Naruto with a salute.

The woman nodded satisfied with the answer before she left Naruto alone in the room.

Once his mom was gone, Naruto grinned from ear to ear in joy. He couldn't believe this! He had a mom, a real mother! He even had his own nice little room that was way nicer than his old one. Speaking of which, now that the light was on he had a good view of the room. The walls were of cream color while the furniture was black, he also had a poster with the Konoha emblem just above his bed while on the bed itself was a small stuffed fox.

Naruto frowned. He was too old to have a stuffed fox, wasn't he? Meh, it was fine he supposed. It really wasn't a big deal.

Well, he decided that he would better hurry and dress before his mom got angry again. He walked to his dresser and as he inspected his clothing options he was surprised to see the quality of the clothing, it was way nicer than the kinds of clothes he had been used to wearing when he had been a kid. Sadly, he didn't find a lot of orange clothes. After going through his wardrobe for a couple of minutes he finally settled for a plain orange shirt and blue pants with blue sandals. He really needed to go shopping later, he felt naked without an orange jacket and orange pants.

He walked to his doorway, and after shooting his room a quick look he turned off the lights and went into the corridor. He felt the need to explore a little bit his new home, so he glanced at the corridor and saw a door next to his room and another at the end of the corridor. He felt compelled to go into one of them when he heard his mother call out to him.

''Naruto, hurry up or you'll be late!'''

''I'm coming!'' Naruto yelled back hastily. He decided to leave his exploring for another time lest his mother got violent again.

He rushed to the other side of the corridor to find a stairwell. He quickly went down the stairs and once he reached the bottom he found a dining room with his mom already in it. She was standing beside the long wooden table with a small bento box.

''Here you go, sweetie!'' Said his grinning mother as she handed him the small box. ''Good luck on your test, dattebane!''

Naruto grabbed the bento with content. He still couldn't fully believe all of this, real homemade food that his mom made! He had had dreams like these before. She even had his verbal tic! ''Don't worry, mom. I'm going to show everyone who's boss, dattebayo!'' Said Naruto with a thumbs up.

She ruffled his hair affectionately. ''I know you will. Go on now or you'll get in trouble''

''I know I know, I'll be going now!'' Said Naruto as he ran towards a door at the other side of the house that he supposed was the exit, only for a bunch of cleaning products to fall on him as soon as he opened it.

''What are you doing?'' Asked his mom from the dining room with a raised eyebrow and an annoyed look.

Naruto got up from the floor as he tried to take off a bucket stuck on his head. He gave a wide breath when he finally managed to remove the damn thing and he gave a sheepish grin once he spotted the angry look that his mom was giving him.

''I was just...I was...I-I thought that I may need a...bucket before I left...hehe'' Said Naruto lamely.

The deadpan look that him mom was giving him showed him that she didn't believe him. She probably thought that he was still screwing around.

''I'll give you ten seconds. If you haven't left by then I'll give you the beating of a lifetime'' Said his mom in exasperation. ''One...two...''

''Okay I'm sorry, I was just kidding, just kidding!'' Said Naruto hurriedly before he took off. This time he went the other way, and after passing a nice looking living room he found the front door.

He gave a sigh of relief when he finally made it out. Man, his mom could be really scary when she wanted to. Though she could be really sweet sometimes so it was okay.

Then, he directed his gaze towards the village around him and gave another smile of delight. Konoha was intact! Everything was just as he remembered! The tall buildings, the numerous people, the trees surrounding the village, the clear blue sky. He had done it! Everything was in their place, everyone was alive. Naruto felt a huge wave of relief wash over him, he had already known that the village had to be safe if he woke up in a perfectly fine and not crumbled house but to actually see the village safe with his own eyes had no comparison. And he swore that this time things would be fine, Pain, Orochimaru, and the rest of the Akatsuki bastards were not going to get their way.

But back to the topic at hand, Naruto still had to make it to the academy. He saw that he still had to go down another round of stairs from his front door. He deduced that he had to be living in the nice section of the village or something. Awesome. After living in his humble apartment this was a nice change of pace. Still, he could not deny that he would miss his old apartment, even of it was not the nicest apartment ever it had still been his home all his life.

After going down the steps, Naruto was just starting to see his surrounding to determine in which part of the village he was and which path to take when a voice caught his attention.

''About time you came out, idiot''

Naruto froze at the familiar voice, a voice that he hadn't heard in a while, a voice that had talked to him so coldly and uncaringly the last time he heard it. The blond turned around, and sure enough, he spotted Sasuke leaning against the stairwell of his home with his arms crossed.

''Did you fall asleep or something?'' Asked Sasuke with a smug grin.

The Uchiha was just as Naruto remembered at that age: he was wearing a high collared blue shirt with short sleeves with a red and white fan sewed on the back that was the crest of the Uchiha. He was also wearing white warmers in his forearms, white shorts, and white bandages on his calves. He had onyx eyes, and raven hair that stood upwards on the back of the head with two bangs framing his face.

Sasuke frowned in discomfort at the weird look that Naruto was giving him. ''What's wrong, idiot? Is there something on my face?'' Asked the annoyed Uchiha.

Naruto simply smiled brightly and ran up to Sasuke with a hand scratching the back of his head. ''Nah, It'sonly that I'm...surprised to see you!'' Said Naruto. It was so good to see Sasuke again and he wasn't trying to kill him! And he was back in Konoha no less! And now Naruto would make sure that Sasuke never left them again. Still, as happy as Naruto was to see Sasuke back with them he had to contain himself, Sasuke didn't know why Naruto would be so ecstatic to see him and he didn't want to make things weird between them so he better play it cool.

''Anyway, what are you doing here? Not that I mind you being here of course'' Said Naruto amicably.

Sasuke shot the blond a puzzled look. ''Umm, wait for you so we can go to the academy together...like we do every day?'' Said Sasuke sarcastically. Naruto was acting even dumber than usual which was an accomplishment in itself.

''Y-Yes of course! I guess I'm still not fully awake, hahaha'' Said Naruto sheepishly. However, this was way better than he has anticipated, not only his mother was fine but apparently he and Sasuke were best pals too! This go-back-in-time business had resulted way better than expected.

''Hmph, whatever. Let's go. I don't want to fail because your dumb ass forgot to wake up on time'' Said Sasuke as he started walking down the street with Naruto in tow.

It was a good thing that Sasuke had shown up, this saved Naruto the trouble of looking for the academy.

''By the way, where is your obnoxious butler? Busy with Uroko-Chan I take it?'' Asked Sasuke.

''Uh?'' Said Naruto dumbly. What was Sasuke talking about? A butler? He had a butler? Did his butler usually accompanied him everywhere or what? And who was Uroko? ''Yeah, you know how it is...'' Said Naruto hoping that Sasuke didn't notice his uncertainty.

Instead, Sasuke simply sighed in relief. ''Thank Kami. This way we can have some peace and quiet, at least for the time being ''

''Y-Yeah...'' Agreed Naruto, still going along with Sasuke. He had to familiarize quickly with this new reality before people noticed something was wrong with him.

''I still can't believe you are late the day of our graduation'' Said Sasuke, changing the topic. ''Did Kushina-obasan give you a hard time for it?''

Naruto smiled at Sasuke's comment. So that was her mom's name! Lucky him! Now he wouldn't have to go asking around awkwardly about the name of his own mother. ''You know how she gets. I think I'll still feel that punch a week from now'' Said Naruto, trying to make for a more natural conversation.

Sasuke nodded as he shuddered at the thought of Kushina angered. He knew how terrifying she could be when she lost her temper. He could only pity the poor fool that made her angry. Poor Naruto, the idiot.

Naruto was about to speak again when Sasuke beat him to it.

''We're here'' informed the Uchiha as they approached the gates of the academy.

 _''What? But it has been just a couple of minutes!''_ Thought Naruto. He hadn't known that his house was so close to the academy, but sure enough, he could see the academy just in front of them and the large Hokage tower just behind it. The Academy was a large building with a wooden roof that extended all along the width of the Hokage tower that had the Kanji for 'Fire' right over the entrance door.

Naruto didn't know how he could have missed the building with how close it was to his house, at the very least he should have been able to see the Hokage tower which was just next to the academy.

Both boys made their way to the building as they passed a lone tree with a swing.

As they entered the place, Naruto frowned as he noticed the looks that most of the other academy students were giving them. As soon as he and Sasuke passed them by, they shot them scared looks and nervous smiles as they got out of their way to let them pass. Naruto couldn't figure out what was up with that.

Naruto didn't have a chance to ask Sasuke what was the deal with the rest of the students before they arrived at their class.

At least this was how Naruto remembered his classroom. The student's desks surrounded a podium where the teacher's desk and the blackboard were.

Naruto was glad to see that almost all his old friends were there, and a couple new faces too, like some guy with half his face covered in bandages and a girl with long dark hair. Naruto had the feeling that he had seen them before but he couldn't place his finger on where...

Still, it was good seeing Ino pestering a bored Shikamaru while Chouji ate chips, while Hinata and Shino Listened silently to Kiba boasting about something or wathever. It was good to see everyone safe and sound.

As they finally reached their seats, which were just beside each other, Sasuke gave yet another sigh of relief as he and Naruto sat down. ''Good. The class hasn't started yet. I thought for sure that your tardy ass was going to get us in trouble'' Said Sasuke as he glanced at Naruto who was not paying attention to the Uchiha and was instead looking around at their classmates with a look of concern on his face. ''What is it?'' Asked Sasuke at Naruto's weird behavior.

''It's just...I can't see Sakura-Chan anywhere'' Said Naruto as he kept surveying around.

''Who?'' Asked Sasuke, confused.

Now that caused Naruto to turn around to face the Uchiha. How could Sasuke not know who Sakura-Chan was? ''You know. Sakura-Chan'' Said Naruto as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

However, Sasuke just kept looking silently at him with a puzzled look.

''Pink hair, green eyes, large forehead...'' Said Naruro, still not believing that he just had to describe Sakura to Sasuke.

Finally, a look of realization hit Sasuke. ''Oh right. Haruno, wasn't it? What about her?'' Asked Sasuke now even more confused than before. Why did Naruto want with the girl?

''Why isn't she here?'' Asked Naruto with concern. ''Isn't she graduating with us?''

''Graduating?'' Repeated Sasuke incredulously. ''Naruto, she was expelled in our first year, remember?''

''What!?'' Exclaimed Naruto in shock. ''Expelled?! For what!? Sakura-Chan is smart as heck! How could they have expelled her!?''

Sasuke shrugged uncaringly. He didn't know why Naruto was making such a big deal about this. ''Yeah, she was smart but that was it. She was deemed unfit to be a ninja due to her poor motivation and lack interest in actually being a real Shinobi. That's why she, Amy, and the rest of the losers that used to never leave me alone got for being more interested in impressing me than actually being competent Kunoichi''

''But...but, Ino is over there, isn't she?'' Said Naruto as he pointed to the end of the classroom where the Yamanaka was sitting. ''How come she wasn't expelled too?!'' Ino had been just as bad as Amy and the rest of Sasuke's fangirls, so how did she get a free pass and Sakura-Chan didn't?

''She is the Yamanaka clan's heiress. I'm guessing that her father begged the Hokage to give her another chance. He must have beaten some sense into Ino too since she has actually taken more interest in her studies since then'' Explained Sasuke. Yeah, Ino still smiled or winked seductively at him from time to time, but it was nowhere near as bad as when she literally used to throw herself at him, and she was a much better ninja to boot now. Of course she wasn't in his league or even Naruto's league, but she was actually competent now as a Kunoichi.

''I can't believe this!'' Said Naruto, offended that Sakura-Chan had been treated this way. ''How could the Hokage have allowed this?!''

''What has gotten into you, moron?'' Said Sasuke, now very wary of Naruto's bizarre attitude. ''And since when do you call your father 'Hokage'? Did Kushina-obasan hit you that hard on the head?'' He wouldn't doubt it.

Naruto stared agape at Sasuke. So his father had survived too? He didn't know why he hadn't expected it since his mother was also alive. Still, he had to have a talk with his dad, this was not the way to treat mere students!

Before any of them could keep talking, at that moment a man entered the classroom.

''Quiet down, runts!'' Said the man as he made his way to the teacher's desk. The man had shoulder-length white hair and was wearing the standard Konoha uniform which consisted of a blue shirt with blue pants and a green high collared flak jacket.

Naruto glared at the man that he recognized as Mizuki. He would never trust the bastard again after he tried to have him steal the forbidden scroll for him. He could not be sure if he was the same despicable man as before but he already knew that he was capable of being one.

''So this is finally the day, worms'' Said Mizuki unpleasantly. ''We shall finally see if you, worthless brats, are ready to become Shinobi!''

Naruto frowned at the tone of his teacher. Yep, he was still an asshole all right. At least this time around he didn't bother to put up a nice guy facade. Naruto wondered where Iruka was. Was Mizuki the only teacher coming? Back when he had studied at the academy both Iruka and Mizuki taught them at the same time, until Mizuki was revealed to be a traitor that is.

''This test will be a sparring match. Follow me outside!'' Announced Mizuki before he exited the classroom as all the students did the same one by one.

Once outside, Naruto found himself and the rest of his classmates in a large field surrounded by benches.

''Sit down, brats!'' Ordered Mizuki as he stood in the center of the field.

Naruto frowned at having to listen to Mizuki but he knew that he needed to comply, so he still made his way to the benches along with the rest of the class. Once there, Naruto found himself a nice place beside Sasuke at the back of the available benches.

Seeing that everyone was there, Mizuki proceeded to explain the exam. ''This will be simple. I'll call two of you at a time and you shall fight each other. The point of the spar is not to win, but to prove me that you know your stuff as skilled Konoha Shinobi, and for that, You must show me as much of your techniques and combat moves as possible. After that, I'll decide if you have what it takes to become Genin''

Naruto noted that this was different from the test they had last time. However, he was fine with the terms. He was much better now than what he had been back when he graduated. If anything, he should hold back against his friends. They weren't time traveling experienced ninja after all.

''Let's start the test'' Said Mizuki. ''Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, get here at once!''

Naruto saw Shikamaru stand up with an annoyed groan.

''What a drag. I hate going first. And against Ino no less'' Said Shikamaru unamused. Just as Naruto remembered, Shikamaru still kept his long dark hair in a spiky ponytail and was wearing brown pants and a short-sleeved gray coat over a mesh shirt.

''What's wrong Shika, afraid to lose to me'' Said Ino as she too stood up. She had platinum blond hair in a ponytail, emerald eyes, and was wearing white arm warmers, a purple apron skirt with a matching purple blouse that showed her bandaged midriff. She also had bandages covering her thighs.

''This is just a lose-lose situation for me'' Said Shikamaru. Not to mention that he hated fighting girls. ''If you beat me you'll never let me live it down, and if I beat you you'll make me pay for it later''

''Stop talking nonsense and get here already!'' Urged Mizuki.

With that, both teenagers made their way to the center of the field and got into their respective battle stances.

''Give it all you got. This is over once any of you can't continue, gives up, or I deem it over. Also, killing and maiming is forbidden'' Said Mizuki, looking seemingly disappointed that he had to enforce a no-killing rule.

Naruto glared at the academy teacher. He didn't know how his dad could allow such a bastard to be an academy teacher.

Naruto took a moment to speak to Sasuke and clear out some doubts. ''Hey Sasuke, have you seen Iruka-Sensei lately?''

''Who? The teacher of the freshman year?'' Asked Sasuke, once again wondering what was up with these weird questions.

So Iruka was still a teacher but he only taught the younger kids now? Good to know, at least he was still at the academy. ''Yeah. It's just that...I haven't seen him in a while so I was wondering if he was sick'' Said Naruto, quickly thinking of an excuse.

''I'm pretty sure he is fine'' Responded Sasuke, shifting his attention from his friend to the match that was about to start.

''Begin!'' Yelled Mizuki as he jumped to the edge of the field for safety.

As soon as Mizuki gave the signal, both Shikamaru and Ino rushed each other throwing kicks and punches at impressive speed.

Naruto watched in surprise as both of his friends rapidly blocked each blow before doing a quick counter attack. He didn't remember Ino and Shikamaru to be this skilled at Taijutsu as this age. Especially Ino.

Ino jumped over a kick aimed at her stomach as she did a flip in the air, letting out a kick of her own aimed at Shikamaru's head.

The Nara rolled out of the way, making some distance between him and Ino before he quickly made some hand seals. ''Kagemane no Jutsu!(Shadow Imitation Technique)'' In an instant, Shikamaru's shadow elongated itself and rushed towards Ino in an effort of catching her own shadow.

Ino jumped back as far as she could as soon as Shikamaru's shadow closed in on her. She needed to get out of the range of the shadow as she knew that is Shikamaru got her with that it was over. It seemed to work as the shadow stopped halfway, unable to go any further. Ino concluded that close quarters combat was too dangerous now, so she activated some seals on her arm warmers as she passed a hand over it, making a bouquet of purple flowers to appear in a puff of smoke. Ino didn't waste any time and grabbed one of the flowers and threw it at Shikamaru, leaving a trail of purple petals in its path.

Naruto saw Shikamaru dodge the flower by mere inches as the plant lodged itself on the ground behind the shadow user. It seemed that the flowers were sharpened at the end of their stems. Naruto was getting more surprised by the minute, he had never seen Ino fight like this.

''Don't worry, Shika'' Said Ino with a confident smile. ''The poison on these ones aren't lethal. However, get pinched and you won't be able to move for a couple of minutes''

''How troublesome'' Muttered Shikamaru before he was forced to dodge yet another flower aimed at him. And another, and another. In no time, Shikamaru found himself dancing around the battlefield as he dodged barrage after barrage of purple flowers.

This went on for a while until Ino suddenly smiled victoriously as she put her hands on the ground. ''Gotcha!'' Exclaimed the girl as she channeled Chakra on the petals covering the ground. The Chakra rapidly made a thread that aimed for Shikamaru as it spread from petal to petal, and since the floor was completely covered by them at the moment, the Chakra thread rapidly made its way to Shikamaru and made contact with his feet, trapping his movements. ''You are not the only got with restraining Jutsus, Shika''

''Shit!'' Said The Nara when he found himself unable to move his legs. He saw Ino getting ready to throw another flower at him, which it would connect if he couldn't dodge. He hastily made some hand seals in response. ''Kageyose no Jutsu!(Shadow Gathering Technique)'' Then, Shikamaru's shadow became a mass of thin threads that proceeded to pierce all the petals surrounding the Nara and pulled them towards him, clearing the immediate surrounding floor and breaking the connection with Ino. As soon as he got his movement back he barely managed to dodge the flower that Ino threw at him.

Ino groaned in annoyance at her failed attack. Leave it to Shikamaru to free himself from that one.

Both teenagers were about to resume their match when Mizuki called out to both of them.

''Stop!''

Shikamaru and Ino both stopped in their track as they turned to their Sensei.

''I have seen enough'' Informed Mizuki. ''You both pass''

Both fighters nodded in satisfaction before they made their way to the benches once more.

''Way to go, Shikamaru!'' Said Naruto as Shikamaru made it back to the rest of the students. After such an awesome match he felt compelled to congratulate his old friend. ''For a guy that watches the clouds all day you sure did great!''

Shikamaru looked oddly at Naruto. Not only because of the weird comment but also because Naruto never talked to him. ''Like I could watch clouds without your dad kicking me out of the academy. Still, I appreciate the sentiment'' finished the Nara before he sat down.

Naruto frowned in annoyance once again. Was his dad really that strict? First he expelled Sakura but he would have someone expelled others for something like cloud watching?

''Namikaze, if you are feeling so chatty why don't you come here next?'' Said Mizuki at Naruto.

Naruto shot a hard look at Mizuki before he nodded reluctantly. He didn't have a problem being next but he still didn't like taking orders from him. Also, he hated being called 'Namikaze', he was Uzumaki Naruto, damn it!

''Inuzuka, get down here and show us what you can do'' Suggested Mizuki before Kiba got up also.

''Fine. I'm going to wipe the floor with Naruto's prissy ass'' Said Kiba with a confident smirk. He had dark feral eyes and brown messy hair covered by a gray hoodie. he was also wearing gray pants and had on his lap a small white pup with squinted eyes. ''Right, Akamaru?'' Asked the Inuzuka to his dog to which he replied with an enthusiastic bark.

''Prissy?'' Murmured Naruto in annoyance as he made his way to the field. He hoped that it was just a dumb insult by Kiba and it didn't mean that he had actually been prissy in this timeline.

Once both fighters were in the field facing each other, Naruto gave Kiba a friendly smile. ''Good luck, Kiba. Show me what you got'' Said the Jinchuuriki.

However, Kiba didn't share Naruto's good sportsmanship. ''Feh, I don't need luck. I'm tired of you thinking you are hot stuff just because of your dad and the fox on your gut. I'm gonna wipe the floor with your pompous ass'' Snarled Kiba.

Naruto stared at Kiba in shock. He was at a complete loss for words. Kiba knew that he had the Kyuubi inside of him?! Did everyone know?! Naruto berated himself mentally, of course everyone would know if Kiba of all people knew. This wasn't supposed to be this way, at this point in time his friends shouldn't know that he was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki! Was that why everyone seemed afraid of him? That had to be it, if his Jinchuuriki status was public knowledge then there was nothing to protect him from everyone's judgmental thoughts.

''Begin!'' Yelled Mizuki, leaving no more time for Naruto to ponder on these new bits of information.

Just as Naruto had expected, the first thing that Kiba did was to go on all fours as he channeled his Chakra to his limbs, making his nails sharper and longer and his canines more pronounced.

Akamaru transformed in a puff of smoke as he became an exact copy of Kiba, mimicking the boy's feral style of fighting.

Both Kiba and Akamaru lunged at Naruto with a savage roar, claws at the ready.

Naruto easily swatted Kiba's swipe away by the wrist before he rapidly twisted his body to the side to avoid Akamaru's attack. The canine duo were quick to resume their assault, however, as they attacked both from Naruto's right and left sides. Still, Naruto continued to dodge and block each and every swipe of Kiba and Akamaru. Even if Naruto's current body wasn't as strong or fast as it had been in its timeline he still had way more experience, it was easy for him to read Kiba's movements. Naruto had faced numerous S-ranked criminals in his future, it was simply not fair to put him against a Genin about to graduate even if it was a talented one like Kiba.

Finally, Naruto caught one of Kiba's punches as he flipped him over and threw him before he kicked Akamaru away as the transformed dog had been about to attack him again.

Back in the benches, Sasuke smirked smugly for his friend. Despite Naruto not using his usual and more refined fighting style, he was still dominating Kiba as expected. Also, it was nice to see that Naruto had been practicing different styles.

Naruto decided that it was time to start punching back, and with a quick hand seal, a perfect clone of him materialized beside him in a puff of smoke.

Kiba huffed in indignation. Like a simple illusion was going to throw him off-balance. But he was shocked to have the clone block his next punch and push him back. What the hell! That copy was real?! Now that he paid attention it even had its own smell so it had to be real.

Everyone watching was surprised at the image of two Narutos fighting two Kibas, and the Narutos were winning. Since they were now evenly matched it had turned into two single combats going on at the same time, but every time a Kiba tried to attack a Naruto they just found their blow blocked or dodged followed by a counter attack.

''Stop moving!'' Said an enraged Kiba as he kept punching and swiping while Naruto evaded with little effort. Then, in one of Kiba's attacks, Naruto grabbed his wrist using this chance to pinch the arm of the Inuzuka with a purple flower he had picked up from the battlefield before he kicked Kiba away.

Kiba could feel his body rapidly going numb from the poison in that flower. He turned to Naruto in rage as he got on his knees, unable to keep himself standing anymore. ''You punk! That's cheating!'' Snarled Kiba.

Naruto shrugged at Kiba's comment. ''Hey, I'm just using my surroundings to my advantage'' Said Naruto. there was nothing in the rules that forbade him from using leftover tools from past fights. Besides, This way he would take down Kiba without doing much damage to him.

Then, Naruto heard an enraged roar from behind him and was barely able to avoid a swipe from Akamaru who had come to defend his master.

Naruto turned to Akamaru and blocked his subsequent blows, all the while the transformed dog growled at him. The exchange didn't last long as the clone that had previously been fighting Akamaru caught up to them and started fighting the canine too, throwing kicks and punches along with the real Naruto to overwhelm Akamaru. The transformed dog did its best to avoid and parry the combined assault of the two blonds but it proved to be too much for him as he received more hits than he blocked. Finally, both Narutos threw a punch at the same time that caught the fake Kiba in the jaw, sending him flying with a pained cry, landing a good distance away and losing consciousness before transforming back into a small dog.

''Akamaru!'' Kiba called out to his furred as he laid on the floor, worried for the dog's wellbeing. Then, the Inuzuka turned his head to glare hatefully at Naruto. ''You'll pay for this!''

Naruto looked at Kiba with an apologetic look, but a spar was a spar. At least it had to be over now, it was clear that Kiba was finished. Without Akamaru and the poison keeping him from moving there was nothing more the feral boy could do.

Mizuki seemed to think the same as he had been about to call the match when Kiba started raising from the ground.

''I won't let you win this...'' Murmured Kiba as he stood up slowly. His face was shadowed as he glanced at his feet.

''This is not about winning, just let it...'' Said Naruto before Kiba lifted his gaze and looked him directly in the eye. Naruto's words died in his throat as his expression turned into a horrified expression. He felt his blood run cold as he stared agape at Kiba's glowing yellow eyes with a black sclera as flame-like black markings started spreading through the Inuzuka's skin.

 _''A cursed seal!?''_ Thought Naruto in astonishment. This couldn't be! How did Kiba had a cursed seal just like Sasuke used to have?! What the hell was going on here!?

Kiba rushed at Naruto with an amazing speed he hadn't possessed before and used Naruto's distracted state to land a blow in the blond's stomach that not only made Naruto lose his breath but also sent him flying before he collided with a wall at the other side of the field.

''Enough! You know that the use of those seals is forbidden in Academy spars!'' Mizuki scolded Kiba.

Kiba turned to look at Mizuki with a crazed look in his eye.''Don't get in my way! Namikaze has to pay!''

''I'm telling you kid, stand down or I'll make you'' Warned Mizuki with a cold edge in his voice.

Kiba glared at the teacher dangerously, but in the end he just complied. ''Fine...'' After a moment, the black markings in the Inuzuka's skin started to recede, going back to normal.

''You both pass'' Said Mizuki still annoyed. ''You are lucky I don't fail you for that stunt''

However, Naruto was not paying attention to anything that Mizuki was saying. He just kept staring with wide eyes at Kiba as he leaned against the wall that the Inuzuka had slammed him to. This was wrong, how did Kiba have a cursed seal And why didn't anyone care?! And what was that about that cursed seals couldn't be used in the academy? Were there more cursed seals?! And if so who else had one?!

''Idiot, are you okay?'' Said Sasuke as he approached Naruto. ''Damn Inuzuka. What a loser, he couldn't even take his loss with dignity''

But instead of answering, Naruto hastily got up and sprinted away, pushing Sasuke out of the way as he ran.

''What the hell, Naruto!'' Said Sasuke as the blond ran past him. ''Where are you going, moron?!''

''Namikaze, get back here!'' Yelled Mizuki when he noticed Naruto jump over the academy fence and run into the streets of Konoha. ''Class isn't over yet! Hey!''

Naruto ignored Sasuke and Mizuki's screams as he kept running. His mind was clouded with questions. This wasn't how things were supposed to be! What changed when he messed with time?! He had no one to talk to this about, but maybe he could make his mother explain some of this things to him. he didn't care that she would probably beat him up for skipping school or that she thought he was crazy. He needed to know what was happening and he needed to know right now.

As soon as he saw his house he rapidly made his way up the stairs. But as soon as he was in his front door, this opened as a small figure threw itself at Naruto.

''Big brother!''

''Whoa-'' Was the only thing that Naruto was able to say before a small girl latched herself to him.

''Welcome home, big brother. I missed you!'' Exclaimed the girl as she lifted her face to give Naruto a toothy grin.

Naruto stared agape at the joyful yellow eyes of the little girl hugging him. She had white pale skin with raven dark hair and purple shadow around her eyes. She was wearing a pink kimono with a floral pattern. But what Naruto was astonished of was of the girl's overall appearance.

 _''She looks just like...just like...''_

''Hello Naruto-Kun''

Naruto's blood got cold at the familiar raspy voice. He turned off his eyes slowly from the girl to look past her to find the man he had just been thinking of standing on the doorway of Naruto's home. Just like the girl, the man had white skin with yellow slitted eyes and black hair, and was wearing a white Kimono with black pants.

''Orochimaru...'' Muttered Naruto with both anger and confusion. He took a few steps back down the staircase, prompting the little girl to let go of him.

''Did I surprise you?'' Said Orochimaru with a raised eyebrow but still keeping an amused smile. ''I know you and your mother weren't expecting me back home but I was just escorting Uroko-Chan back''

''I'm back, Naruto!'' At that moment, another girl landed beside Naruto. ''Me and Uroko-Chan are back! You missed us?'' Exclaimed the loud girl. She was petite with short green hair, orange eyes and caramel-colored skin. She wore a sleeveless white shirt that was so small that showed most of her midriff, a couple of white arm warmers, and a white skirt that showed her bare legs.

However, Naruto was paying no mind to the green-haired girl, she might as well not have existed at that moment. He was completely frozen and at a loss for what to do. Nothing made sense for him, just what did all of this mean?!

''Fuu, I would appreciate if you stopped using the window to leave the house'' Said Orochimaru to the weird girl. But despite the reprimand, he didn't seem miffed at all as he continued to smirk his ever slimy grin.

''Sorry, Hokage-Sama! I'm trying to drop the habit'' Said the girl sheepishly who was now identified as Fuu.

 _''Hokage-Sama!?''_ Thought Naruto in disbelief. This had to be a mistake, there was no way that Orochimaru was the Hokage, his dad was the Hokage...Oh no...no no no no NO! That's why that little girl, who was obviously Orochimaru's daughter called him big brother?

Naruto barely managed to keep himself standing as his knees almost buckled under him from the revelation. This had to be a nightmare, it just had to be! He couldn't accept that this was happening, he simply wouldn't!

Naruto didn't want to hear anything else as he turned around and started running as far away from Orochimaru as possible.

''Papa, where is Naruto-nii going?'' Said the little girl in disappointment. She had been looking forward to playing with her brother all day.

Orochimaru tilted his head in confusion at Naruto's behavior. Still, he had more important things to do than to worry about his silly step son. ''Fuu, would you mind following Naruto and see what has him so riled up? I have other matters to attend to'' Said Orochimaru to the girl beside him.

Said girl gave the Hokage an obedient salute. ''Of course! You can count on me, Hokage-Sama!'' Said Fuu before she went after the blond.

Meanwhile, Naruto kept running and running. This had to be a bad dream. This had to be a misunderstanding. Orochimaru couldn't be the Hokage, he couldn't be his dad; the Yondaime was his father, not the traitorous Sannin and he was going to prove it to himself.

He jumped on top of a building and turned to look at the distance at the Hokage monument with hope, only for his hope to be shattered when he saw the head of the snake bastard sculpted where the head of the Yondaime was supposed to be.

Now Naruto couldn't help but fall to his knees in desperation. This was all wrong. Where did he screw up? How could coming back in time have made Orochimaru his dad?! He had done exactly as his dad had told him to...

No, that wasn't true. He had gone further back into the past when his dad had said that it wasn't a good idea, but still, he knew that he selected the correct time and he was sure as hell that this isn't how he had pictured things to be! It was then that Naruto remembered something: His dad had said to leave his mind clear of all emotion or it could affect the time travelling technique, and back when he had selected coming back to the day of his graduation he had lamented that he had to be alone again...was all of this the result of him hoping for a family? That's why he ended up in a timeline where he had a family even if his family was fucked up? That still didn't explain how Orochimaru ended up as Hokage, but that didn't matter. Naruto still had screwed everything up and he didn't know how to fix it.

''There you are, Naruto-Kun'' Said Fuu as she too arrived at the rooftop where Naruto was. ''What are you doing up here?''

Naruto didn't answer, just as before he paid Fuu no mind.

Seeing that she got no response, the green-haired girl made her way to Naruto. ''You should not be on the floor, it's dirty. Kushina-San is going to get angry if you ruin another set of clothes. But now that I think about it, you just had your graduation exam so I guess you must have already gotten your clothes dirty anyway. -in that case maybe is not such a big deal'' Said Fuu in a cheerful manner, glancing at Naruto to see if she could incite him to converse, but to no avail. She pouted in disappointment at Naruto's silence. Then, she saw a drop of liquid hit the below Naruto. _''Is he crying?''_ Thought the girl with concern as she observed Naruto more closely.

Naruto had had enough, the day had gotten worse and worse until he couldn't take it anymore and all his pent up frustration became too much to bear now. He let his tears fall freely as he clenched his fists. He had ruined everything. He had been given another chance to make things right and he had screwed it from the get go. _''I'm sorry dad. You tried to fix things and I created a timeline where the snake bastard stole mom from you''_

Fuu didn't know what had happened to make Naruto like this, but she couldn't simply let him alone. They were like family and she had sworn to protect Naruto to the best of her ability. She gave the blond a reassuring smile as she put her hand on his shoulder encouragingly. ''It's okay, everything will be all right'' Siad the girl in a soft voice.

Naruto didn't shrug away her hand or tried to make her leave. Even if he didn't know her he felt utterly lost and alone that this small and gentle gesture was welcomed, it made him feel like he wasn't completely alone even if just a little bit.

''It's fine, just let it all out'' Said Fuu gently as she kneeled down beside him. ''I'm here with you''

Naruto let his tears run freely as he sobbed quietly. He didn't even care that she was looking at him, he just wanted this awful day to end.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Don't worry, I know that a lot of stuff doesn't make sense right now but I promise that everything will be explained soon and how all ended up like it did. just a hint: It was something small that ended up causing a domino effect. And just as before, a lot of things aren't what they seem, you'll just have to wait to find out what I mean.**

 **Anyway, I hope that you guys are liking my newest fic so far and feel free to review or PM me. See you soon!**


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